"Theories range from clearing air from your stomach, helping to prepare the unborn baby for breathing, to an ancient gill breathing reflex held over from when our ancestors crawled from the ocean!"

"What we do know about hiccups is that the brain controls them. The brainstem is the area responsible and this is also the part of the brain involved in control of breathing and heart rate. The 'normal' hiccup is an involuntary reflex much like a cough or a gag. Drugs that interfere with how the brain functions can also cause hiccups (or help them -- unfortunately they also mess up many other areas of the brain!)," Bertrand said.

Okay, so we don't really know a hiccup's purpose, but we do know a little more about what can bring them on.

"Overeating or reflux are the most common causes, and the internet is full of other potential causes. In most cases, there is a change in your body (like an overfull stomach) that is communicated to your brain to start the hiccups," said Bertrand.

"Changes to your the brain can also cause hiccups, and some drugs that act on the brain can cause them. Also, brain trauma (such as stroke) can cause severe hiccups. Cancer treatment, or drugs used for Parkinson's disease or for treating psychiatric disorders can also change how your brain functions and cause hiccups."

"Hiccups can sometimes be stopped by increasing the levels of carbon dioxide in your body. This is the basis for cures such as breathing into a paper bag or holding your breath."

Probed on all of the old wives' tales regarding how to get rid of them, Bertrand could not speculate as there is no proof on cures, though Mind The Science Gap has explored a range of remedies -- including eating a spoonful of sugar, drinking a glass of water with plugged ears (you may need help with that one!), or eating a lemon wedge soaked in bitters.

Preventative advice if you're prone to hiccups is to eat less, and more slowly.